THIS INVENTION relates to a substance applicator. In particular, it relates to an applicator for applying or delivering a substance into a body cavity, and to a supply of a substance.
Various conventional applicators for delivering substances to body cavities, such as the vagina and rectum, exist. Most of these conventional applicators comprises a blunt, hollow tube or barrel into which a plunger can be inserted. All of the conventional applicators suffer from at least some of the following problems:
The applicator is of a hard and non-pliable material so there is no bend or give during insertion of the applicator into a vagina. This rigidity makes vaginal insertion more difficult and painful. Often women do not know that the vagina is angled upwards from the opening and that it is not horizontal. After inserting a leading end of the applicator through the vaginal opening in the horizontal direction, the leading end collides with the back wall of the vagina, which is painful and causes the user to think that the applicator has reached the limit of the vagina. The user then injects the substance at a too shallow depth in the vagina so that it runs out of the vagina. No stop guard is provided to limit the depth of insertion of the conventional applicators into the vagina. If the applicator is inserted to the full depth of the vagina and collides with the vaginal vault, considerable pain is caused. This lack of depth control is particularly hazardous in the case of a pregnant woman. Some conventional applicators have leading ends which flare outwards which makes it even more difficult to insert into a vagina. The leading end also often has internal threads for attachment of a tube of vaginal cream to load the applicator, with these threads accumulating vaginal discharge and organisms when the applicator is inserted. The threads are difficult to clean and the applicator is therefore unhygienic. Loading marks on applicator barrels are confusing to the patients and they often do not know which mark to fill the applicator to. Too little or too much cream may then be deposited in the vagina. Conventional applicators can only comfortably be inserted into a vagina when the woman is lying on her back with her knees flexed. It is difficult to insert the conventional applicators which is often difficult to grip and difficult to control when being inserted into a vagina.
It is an object of this invention to provide means which alleviate at least some of these problems.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an applicator for applying or delivering a substance into a body cavity, the applicator including
a deformable reservoir for receiving and expelling the substance, the reservoir having an inlet spaced from an outlet, the inlet being configured to be connected to a container containing the substance;
valve means positioned in the inlet to inhibit flow of the substance from the reservoir through the inlet; and
an elongate nozzle having an outlet for delivering the substance into the body cavity, the nozzle being in flow communication with the reservoir through the outlet of the reservoir.
An angle between a centrally disposed longitudinal axis of the nozzle and a centrally disposed axis through the inlet may be between 170xc2x0 and 135xc2x0.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an applicator for applying or delivering a substance into a body cavity, the applicator including
a deformable reservoir for receiving and expelling the substance, the reservoir having an inlet spaced from an outlet; and
an elongate nozzle having an outlet for delivering the substance into the body cavity, an angle between a centrally disposed longitudinal axis of the nozzle and a centrally disposed axis through the inlet being between 170xc2x0 and 135xc2x0.
The applicator according to the second aspect of the invention may include valve means positioned in the inlet to inhibit flow of the substance from the reservoir through the inlet.
The reservoir and the nozzle may be integrally moulded from a synthetic plastics or polymeric material, such as a silicone rubber.
The reservoir may be resiliently deformable. The reservoir may be in the form of a hollow bulb or may be spindle shaped and walls of the reservoir may contain integral reinforcing ribs to provide the reservoir with some degree of integrity.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an applicator for applying or delivering a substance into a body cavity, the applicator including
a resiliently deformable reservoir for receiving and expelling the substance, the reservoir having an inlet; and
an elongate nozzle, the reservoir and the nozzle being integrally moulded of a synthetic plastics or polymeric material and being arranged such that an angle between a centrally disposed longitudinal axis of the nozzle and a centrally disposed axis through the inlet is between 170xc2x0 and 135xc2x0.
Preferably, the angle between the centrally disposed longitudinal axis of the nozzle and the centrally disposed axis through the inlet is between 160xc2x0 and 140xc2x0, and most preferably between 155xc2x0 and 145xc2x0.
The applicator according to the third aspect of the invention may include valve means positioned in the inlet to inhibit flow of the substance from the reservoir through the inlet.
The nozzle may be generally penile-shaped. A discharge end portion of the nozzle remote from the reservoir, generally may have the shape of a glans penis. Thus, the nozzle may have a rounded point which flares back like the corona of a glans penis and which in use lifts the opposing vaginal walls apart when the nozzle is inserted. The nozzle may thus have a generally triangular cross-section similar to that of a penis to allow the smallest area of contact or friction with a posterior vaginal wall. Side walls of the nozzle are thus in use angled away from lateral walls of the vagina, with a relatively broad superior wall of the nozzle being stabilized by low pressure contact with the anterior vaginal wall.
The inlet of the reservoir may include an internally threaded port.
The outlet of the nozzle may be in the form of a slit extending between opposed sides of the nozzle and may be located in an upper half of the discharge end portion of the nozzle.
Preferably, at least the nozzle is transparent or translucent. More preferably, the reservoir is also transparent or translucent.
The nozzle may be of a material having a Shore A hardness between 40 and 80, e.g. 70.
The nozzle may have a length of between 60 mm and 80 mm and a maximum external diameter of between 10 mm and 20 mm, e.g. 17 mm.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a supply of a substance to be delivered into a body cavity, which includes a container containing the substance and having an outlet, and an applicator as hereinbefore described, the outlet of the container being connectable or connected to the inlet of the reservoir of the applicator.
The substance may be a medicament. A difference in an internal volume of the reservoir when non-deformed and when deformed between the fingers of a user may substantially correspond to a unit dose volume of the medicament.
The substance may be any cream or gel or ointment. The substance may be intended to be delivered into the vagina of a human female. The substance may thus be a biocide, an antiseptic, an anti-fungal agent, a spermicide or a lubricant. Thus, it may be a biocidal or biostatic cream or gel or ointment. It is typically a non-aqueous or viscous cream or ointment which adheres to the vaginal epithelia.
The applicator of the invention is particularly suited for applying a non-aqueous biocidal or biostatic cream or ointment to the vaginal epithelia to inhibit the transmission of sexual diseases during sexual intercourse or for the treatment of vaginal infection.
The applicator of the invention may be sold separately from a source of the substance in which case it may be sterilized and sealed in a protective wrapping which is opened by the user. The user then couples the applicator to the source of the substance. Alternatively, the applicator may be sold as part of a supply of a substance in accordance with the invention. The supply of the substance may then also be sealed in a protective wrapping.